Good on you!

So we went to Hervey Bay Friday to see our other option here in Queensland. It's like maybe 115 km from Bundaberg, so about 1 1/2 hours by car. Hervey Bay is known for whale watching from October to December. Apparently they are so prevalent you don't even have to go out in a boat to see them, just look out your window. Right now it's just summer and beachy, like Outer Banks beachy, very touristy and summery. We went without a reservation for the night (this will be a recurrent theme) and only dinner reservations at Coast,  a restaurant that both Scott and my wonderful tennis buddies gave us a gift certificate. After a couple of "sorry no room at the Inn", we ended up at the Radison in Hervey Bay. It was fine, no great shakes, but a clean and comfortable room. We sat at the pool and played a few games of backgammon, cleaned up, and went out for dinner at Coast.

Coast is a very upscale, pretty restaurant. We were there on a Friday night, and maybe Ladies Night from the demographics we observed. Next to our table was a birthday party for a gal with 18 of her closest friends. It was a wild scene man. Our very sweet waitress had our table and this huge table to work, and she was was working. She took our drink order and we had to hunt for her the rest of the night. The gals at the birthday party table were keeping her busy. We had a very enjoyable night even with the distraction. (John kept talking about what the gals were wearing.) Australia is very casual so there were people in shorts and flip flops all the way to the decked out birthday girls with their finery on. We had a great meal of "small plate" dining, and we know that we will come back.

We made a decision about the next 11 months whilst visiting Hervey Bay. The director of the Emergency Department gave John the option of staying in Bundaberg or moving to Hervey Bay. (I think I explained this earlier)

While we enjoyed the overnight in HB, it did seem very busy and had a lot of traffic. This little area was "discovered" 10 years ago and the building started and still hasn't stopped. The little towns on the Esplanade are full of tacky tourist shops and eateries, but there is very little zoning apparently. It has lovely beaches and an amazing 1/4 mile pier in Urangdan, but it all gets lost in the traffic and congestion. This isn't even the busy season, the whale watching is October-December, that's high season for this area. So we have decided to stay in Bundaberg, well at the Bundaberg Base Hospital, but move to Bargara. We have found an apartment that even I couldn't believe how lucky we will be to live there. See the pictures and plan your visit!

Far Left, second floor

View from the front window

The louvers open to reveal a complete view in front and to the side of the ocean.

This is between the slats of the front exposure

The rest are of the interior of the house. Wherever you see the louvers, there is a window to the ocean on the other side. I couldn't open them as our time to view the house was limited.

Dining Area

Living Room

The kitchen is next, and with this building comes a barbeque grill on the first level, right by the herb garden which is a community garden, this includes a lime tree with full, ripe limes ready for a Bundy Rum and Tonic!

The bedrooms are generous and comfortable. The master has a view of, yes, the ocean.

Master

Guest room

It has 2 beautiful bathrooms, one with a whirlpool tub. The other room is a den/bedroom, with the desks and bookshelves.

His and hers

So we are super excited to get in at the end of February and start hosting friends and family. I cannot believe we have found this living situation. I am pinching myself. 

Oh, the beach, I forgot to tell you, it's right across the street from Kelly's Beach where we saw the turtles hatching. The golf club is maybe 50 yards away. Downtown Bargara is a short walk along the beach, and the realtor told us that in whale season you can see them from our place as they migrate up to Hervey Bay. Bring your binoculars!

Let's see, this beautiful Lake Geneva freezing after NewYear's
or

This, Kelly's Beach first week of January, hmmmmm